The Raven Soars At Night
by LadyArcana
Summary: The child of a Tortuga Miss and a pirate, Nadia goes on a quest to find her long-lost brother, Jack Sparrow, finding love, betrayal, and adventure on the way.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters pertaining to Pirates of the Caribbean or Disney. However, I do own all original characters, plots, and dialogues within this story. No one may use or copy ideas from this piece, including original characters. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! :)  
  
Tortuga was a place where more sin took place than even the vilest of minds could imagine. Every inch of the corrupt little village was smothered in a thick layer of crime and vice. Pickpockets roamed freely, stealing the fruits of pirate labors. Pirates, in turn, used the lesser thieves as targets for sharpening their dagger-throwing skills. Beggars mulled about in the black dust of the uneven streets. Girls offered themselves to strangers in the hopes of earning a coin or two. No corner of the village was free of this consistent blasphemy. And it was into this world that Nadia Blackwell was born.  
  
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A/N: Please review! I would be ever so grateful! :) 


	2. The Gift

The old pirate was more drunk than he had ever been in his life. He and his crew had just looted a magnificent Indian pilgrim ship piled high with silks, beads, incense, and spices. They would be living a lifestyle of leisure for the next few weeks, until they captured more goods.  
  
Captain Roberto Blackwell swaggered through the streets until he arrived at Miss Nadia's door. She was his favorite "Tortuga Miss". Many jolly times had been spent in her company, and he didn't feel like ending their tradition. The captain pushed back his long, greasy black hair and knocked loudly upon Miss Nadia's door, which was located along the side of a two-story brick building. He glanced longingly at the tavern, which occupied the bottom floor of this particular establishment.  
  
Soon enough, a beautiful, radiant woman opened the door to the old pirate. Her eyes glittered with surprise and a smile played about her lips.  
  
"Roberto!" she exclaimed. "You're back!"  
  
The captain stepped inside and closed the door. "Yes, m'dear, I certainly am. Got a present for ye, too."  
  
Miss Nadia shot him a dazzling smile, enough to make any man dash his most prized ship into a bed of jagged rocks. "What is it, Roberto? What have you brought me?"  
  
"Take me upstairs and I'll give it to ye," whispered the captain, the rum pungent on his breath.  
  
Miss Nadia giggled and grabbed Roberto's hand, leading him up the flight of stairs to her small apartment. Roberto reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two sparkling ruby and diamond encrusted necklaces, holding them up to the light. Their beauty glinted in the kerosene glow.  
  
"Roberto, my love, they're extraordinary! Never have I seen anything so beautiful in my life!" breathed Miss Nadia, who was filled with the urgency to snatch them away from her hideous client.  
  
"One is for ye," said Roberto, fastening the small fortune around his courtesan's neck. Miss Nadia touched it lovingly and kissed him. Roberto led her to her bedchamber, saying, "The two together provide a map. I've searched for the loot, m'dear, I have, but it's a false lead. No good. But someday I could find that I'm wrong…"  
  
Afterward, when the captain was asleep, Miss Nadia pulled on her shift. She crept over to the chair where his clothes were haphazardly piled. Finding his coat, she fished around in the pocket until her fingers found what she was looking for: the second necklace.  
  
Nadia tiptoed over to her wardrobe and slipped the jewels into a drawer amongst unused shifts and nightgowns. By now it was after midnight. Nadia walked over to her only window and looked out. She could hear laughter and crashing on the street below. Somewhere a fight broke loose.  
  
"Hey! You up there, girl!" bellowed a man from the street below her window. Nadia realized that this man was talking to her.  
  
"What?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"I know ye got Captain Blackwell up there, so tell him to bloody get down here!" yelled the man.  
  
Miss Nadia rolled her eyes. "Right then, one moment." She crossed the room and shook the captain gently. "Wake, Love. Someone is calling for you."  
  
The captain stirred. "Ach! Tell them to go to hell!" He paused. "Well, sooner, anyway." He wearily tumbled out of bed, put on his clothes, and staggered toward the door.  
  
"Wait, Roberto," chided Nadia. She touched his cheek and smiled coyly. "I don't love you enough that I'd give up my salary."  
  
"Hm, thought I'd make it away this time, surely, you wench," teased Roberto. He grabbed a satchel of coins from around his waist and tossed them to Nadia. "'Night, m'dear." With that, he was gone.  
  
"'Night, you bloody horrible excuse for a man," whispered Miss Nadia to the closed door. She combed her dark brown hair with her fingers.  
  
"Can I come out now, Mother?" asked a small black-haired boy from a doorway on the other side of the room.  
  
"Yes, Jack, you may come out, my darling boy."  
  
Jack Blackwell emerged from his bedroom across the apartment and stretched his limbs. "Mother, why won't you let me see Father?"  
  
Nadia sighed and shook her head. "You would not like him. He is a terrible pirate."  
  
Jack danced across the room, casting shadows upon the walls. "But I should love to be a pirate! I shall escape from here someday. I'll fly away-- just like a sparrow! Yes, that will be my name. Jack Sparrow."  
  
Nadia laughed and scooped up her son in her arms. "You're such a funny child, Jack. Wherever do you get an imagination like that? Let us rest now." She spun her son round in circles then tucked him into bed. 


	3. Another Blackwell

No matter how hard Miss Nadia tried, she couldn't flatten out the roundness taking over her belly. She was pregnant again, and with Captain Roberto Blackwell's second child. For months she had tried to make her pregnancy inconspicuous to her clients, but the last one had noticed and refused to pay her fee. Miss Nadia wept, realizing that she and Jack would go hungry over the next few months.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm so sorry. All I have left to give you is this," sobbed Nadia, pulling out the second ruby and diamond covered necklace.  
  
Jack looked at it closely. "We could sell it, Mother! Then we could eat like royalty for a year or more!"  
  
Nadia's eyes grew fierce and wide. "No! No, Jack. Whatever you do, do not sell this necklace. It is for you from me. Always remember that."  
  
Jack looked disappointed, but fastened the necklace around his throat and hid it under his small tunic. "Alright, Mother."  
  
"Good. Because it is important: it joins with this necklace," Nadia fingered her own ruby, "to make a map. A map to some sort of treasure."  
  
Jack's eyes brightened. "Pirate's treasure," he breathed.  
  
For the next three months they ate bread heels and drank stale rum.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"It's almost over, Nadia," soothed old Mrs. Moody, who was like a mother to all the Tortuga Misses.  
  
Nadia whimpered and shouted out in pain. "Oh, get it out of me! Please, help me!"  
  
"Push, Nadia, I'm here for you," said Mrs. Moody, wincing as Nadia squeezed her hand with the grip of an animal trap.  
  
Jack cowered in a corner of the next room, wondering what was happening to his mother.  
  
After hours of pushing and screaming, Nadia let out an exasperated breath. The baby had finally come, and it wailed uncontrollably. Nadia lay there muttering, delusional. Mrs. Moody shuffled about, cleaning up, as Nadia stared off into space.  
  
"Nadia, you've got a daughter. What shall she be called?" asked Mrs. Moody.  
  
No answer.  
  
"Tsk, tsk. Well," said Mrs. Moody to the baby, "I'll name you then. You're Nadia. After your mother."  
  
"It's-it's another. She is another one of his children. Her name is Nadia Blackwell," whispered Miss Nadia.  
  
"Another Blackwell," sighed Mrs. Moody. "May God help us all." 


	4. Extinguished Life

It had been three years, and little Nadia was growing into a beautiful child. Her mother paused every once in awhile to admire her daughter's round, pink cheeks, dark eyes surrounded with thick, dark lashes, and wavy dark locks.  
  
"Certainly she couldn't get her looks from her father," thought Miss Nadia, shuddering at the thought of old Captain Blackwell, whose teeth were rotted and whose cheeks were covered in pockmarks.  
  
One evening, Miss Nadia took her two children by the hands and stooped down to speak with them.  
  
"Jack, darling boy, I have already given you your piece of the puzzle," said Miss Nadia. "But you, little Nadia, have yet to receive yours." She pulled the second ruby necklace from her own throat and fastened it around her daughter's. "There, now! Let me look at you." Miss Nadia smiled at her children. She touched both of their cheeks. "These necklaces belong together, Nadia. So let them always connect you to your brother. If you should lose him, or, Jack, if you should lose Nadia, the power of these gems shall pull you together again. Know this."  
  
At that very moment there was a hard pounding on their door. "Oh, children! To bed with you!" whispered Miss Nadia as she hurried down the flight of steps to answer the call.  
  
As she opened the door, Captain Roberto Blackwell stepped inside and slammed it. "Where are those rubies?" he howled. "I know ye stole me other one! Where ye keeping' 'em, wench?"  
  
"I--I don't know what you're talking about, Roberto," stammered Miss Nadia, fervently regretting that she had given her children these cursed jewels.  
  
"Ya bloody wench! I know ye stole 'em from me!" bellowed the captain, who grabbed Miss Nadia by the shoulders and shook her until her teeth clattered together.  
  
Miss Nadia was trembling. The captain had gone mad--his eyes were fierce and red, his voice was urgent. "Give 'em back!" he roared.  
  
Miss Nadia said nothing. There was nothing she could do. The captain smacked her for her muteness and dragged her up the stairs. "Hand 'em over and I'll spare ye!"  
  
Jack and little Nadia's bedroom door creaked. Captain Blackwell noticed. Dropping their mother to the ground, he stomped into their room. Twelve-year-old Jack clung to his sister, attempting to keep her of harm's way.  
  
"Leave us alone!" screamed Jack. "Get out of our house!"  
  
Captain Blackwell let out a deranged cry of laughter. "And ye think I'll let some mousy little boy scare me?" He brought out a flask and took a swig. "Well, I won't." It was then that the captain saw the two necklaces, secure about the children's necks. His eyes widened further.  
  
"Gimme those!" spat the captain, lunging wildly.  
  
Jack pulled Nadia closer and dove out of the way. "Never, you drunken lunatic!" Little Nadia was stiff with fear. They ran out of the room to their mother, whose frightened face was bruised. The captain staggered out of the bedroom.  
  
"Ye had yer chances! Girl, hand over me gems!" growled Captain Blackwell. Nadia quivered in her brother's arms, but grasped the necklace tighter. "Not such a wise choice," hissed the captain, staring at her though eyes like slits. He turned to Jack. "Ye, boy, gimme those jewels and you'll stay alive."  
  
  
  
"Never. They were a gift. You shall never have them back," sobbed Jack.  
  
"Very well," said the captain, smugly.  
  
In one swift movement it was done. A cry of pain, and then nothing. The floorboards were overtaken by thick, red blood--one by one. Jack was steeped in his mother's warm blood from head to toe. The captain had gone, and Jack cried out in anger, mourning, and revenge as he watched his mother, Miss Nadia, writhing in excruciating affliction upon the floor. His sister wept beside him, with a small knife wound to her cheek. It wouldn't be until later that he noticed his own.  
  
"I'm here for you, Mother," said Jack, as tears began to blind him. Little Nadia was in such shock that she couldn't breathe a word.  
  
Jack grasped his mother's hand and watched the light recede from her eyes. They slowly became blank slates. She stopped twisting about, and her gasps for breath ended. Miss Nadia was dead. 


	5. Weaving Their Fates

Nadia held her brother's hand. They were standing aside the pauper's grave that had consumed their beloved mother just minutes before. Now a man had come along with a shovel to pile dirt atop her body, to seal her into the earth forever. He whistled a jolly tune and smiled at the children. Jack's finger's itched to smack him for his ignorance.  
  
"Jack?" ventured Nadia. "Where will we go?"  
  
Jack paused. "I--I want you to go live with, well, respectable people."  
  
"But Jack! We're supposed to stay together, remember? Mother said," Nadia whimpered.  
  
Jack sighed and a lump came to his throat. "I know, I know. It's just--I want you to have a better life than Mother did."  
  
They were silent as they watched the gravedigger pack down the last of the black dirt.  
  
"I'm leaving on a ship today," whispered Jack, wiping a tear from his eye. "To be a ship's hand. I want revenge, Nadia. Father must pay for what he has done."  
  
Nadia shook her head. "I'll miss you so much, Jack. Where will I go?"  
  
"To Mrs. Caldera's," said Jack, looking out of the graveyard and over a hill to where elderly Mrs. Caldera lived. "She'll take care of you, Love."  
  
More tears silently trickled down Nadia's already tearstained cheeks as she and Jack walked slowly from the graveyard and to Mrs. Caldera's.  
  
Mrs. Caldera had always been good to everyone, and was Tortuga's only hope for salvation. She held religion very dear to her heart, and gave it freely to those very few from the village who dared to take it. Even though Mrs. Caldera was and older woman, she was filled with a passion for living that Jack admired.  
  
Later that afternoon, after Nadia had met Mrs. Caldera, the woman took Nadia and Jack to the harbor. When Nadia had met Mrs. Caldera earlier, she had instantly liked her. This made Jack's burden lighter.  
  
As a crew of dingy, tired-looking pirates loaded supplies into their ship, Nadia said goodbye to her brother. "I'll find you someday, Jack. Wear your necklace and I'll wear mine," said Nadia.  
  
"I will," said Jack quietly. He took her up into his arms and hugged her tightly. "We'll meet again someday, Love." A tear dripped onto little Nadia's shoulder.  
  
"Get up here and stop dilly-dallying, boy!" shouted a man on board The Lambent, Jack's ship.  
  
Jack set Nadia down and hurried up the gangway, glancing back once to wave. Nadia watched her brother disappear amongst the many gap-toothed pirates, never thinking what was to lay ahead for him, or for her. She turned away slowly and took Mrs. Caldera's hand.  
  
"Do you know how to weave, child?" 


	6. No Weak Threats

Nadia looked out of Mrs. Caldera's window. From up where they lived on the hill, Nadia could watch all of the harbor activity. Now a ship had come in and was unloading cargo. Each time a ship entered harbor waters, Nadia thought of Jack.  
  
"Will he ever come back?" she wondered, touching the jewels at her throat and rubbing her fingers over the rough markings on the back. "I've waited fifteen years for him"  
  
"Nadia! How many times must I tell you to stop daydreaming?" scolded Mrs. Caldera. "At this rate, we'll never have enough cloth to trade! Start weaving, girl!"  
  
As soon as Nadia had come to live with Mrs. Caldera, she was forced to learn the tedious task of weaving. Mrs. Caldera spun the yarn, and Nadia wove the cloth. It had been this way for nearly ten years now. But Nadia yearned for more. She could not take another day of sitting inside and weaving for hours. Nadia had a thirst that could not be quenched by Mrs. Caldera; Nadia wanted the open sea. She wanted to run an do as she pleased without being scolded. There was something inside Nadia that needed to be reckless. It was her nature to be this way.  
  
Nadia sighed and began to weave yet again. "My apologies." "You old hag" she wanted to add.  
  
Tonight Nadia would creep silently from the house, as on many other nights before, and mingle with what Mrs. Caldera called "the devil's minions". Nadia found these people fascinating, though, and felt rather comfortable around them. They nurtured her desire for adventure. Nadia would also listen for word of Jack.  
  
"Mind yourself, Nadia. You're lagging," tutted Mrs. Caldera.   
  
"I've just finished," replied Nadia, tying off the end of the cloth. She smiled wanly, savoring her contradiction.   
  
Later that evening, after the meal had been cleaned up and the next day's wood chopped, Nadia waited for Mrs. Caldera to get to bed. When the moon shone and the old woman's soft snores could be heard, Nadia crept outdoors on little mouse feet.  
  
The night air was balmy and humid, bringing a cool breeze from the Caribbean Sea. Nadia could see the village lights burning in the valley below. She walked confidently through a small forest and over hills, feeling as though she were on top of the world. Finally–freedom!  
  
The town came into view. It was certainly a different world at night. The dark seems to make one do curious things. Nadia loved the cover of darkness. Walking through the streets of Tortuga for so many years, Nadia had become hardened to its ways. Pirates roved the alleyways, looking for a bit of company or a drink. The Misses strolled along, chatting and laughing with one another. The taverns were full to brimming, and music leaked out onto the streets. Tortuga was bathed in the yellow glow of lanterns.  
  
"You there, girl! Come give us a kiss," slurred a pirate with a thick moustache and rotted teeth. He was sitting lopsidedly at an outdoor table with some other scalawag.   
  
Nadia grimaced. "Not if my life counted on it, you despicable eunuch!"  
  
At that, the pirate jumped awkwardly from his chair, sending the worn structure to the ground. "You dare to insult me, wench?" He was using uncannily high voice tones. He took another swig of his rum.   
  
"Yes, and don't you come any closer. I've warned you," said Nadia smoothly. She touched the dagger hiding in her pocket. All her life she had practiced for her moment of defense. She was ready, if need be. Nadia walked on, her senses staying with the pirate.  
  
"I'll not take weak threats from womankind! Come back here so I can cut off your tongue for insulting your better–a man!" hiccupped the pirate, trying in vain to make himself look a threat. Nadia ignored him. He stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded, until he realized what was happening. The pirate screamed bloody murder and ran after Nadia.  
  
As soon as he had caught up to her, Nadia rounded on him and punched him so hard that he staggered backward. "Never,"yelled Nadia, "think that you are better than a woman!" At this she pinned the frightened pirate to the ground with all her force, and slashed away his thumb. Rising to her feet, she brandished her dagger and asked calmly, "Is there anyone else who cares to belittle me?"  
  
The street was silent except for her victim, who was gaping at the spot where his thumb had once been. No man stepped forward.  
  
"Good." Nadia strode down the dirt road until she found a tavern she hadn't visited yet and stepped inside. She herself didn't know the reason that she had gone for the thumb exactly, but the man needed to be taught a lesson somehow.  
  
Nadia sat herself down at a table and ordered anything but rum, not feeling up to its taste just then.   
  
"I saw what you did," said a deep voice from behind her. Nadia rolled her eyes. What did this one want? She ignored him, but he sat down on a stool next to her. "You have courage."  
  
Nadia turned to tell him off, but she stopped when she saw his face. He could never pass for a pirate, no, but he had a roguish look about him all the same.  
  
"I want you to join my crew," he said. "I know you have what it takes."  
  
Nadia raised her eyebrow and straightened up, staring through his crystal blue eyes to the very core of his soul. "Me," she said, un-assured.  
  
"Yes, you're in the market, are you not?" asked the young man.  
  
Nadia turned the thought over in her mind. Suddenly an urgency washed over her. This was her opportunity to escape from Tortuga! "Yes, in the market, I am. Though it's been years since I've been abroad," lied Nadia.  
  
"From what I've seen, it doesn't look as though you'll have much trouble readjusting," said the man truthfully. "Will you accept the offer to sail with my crew?"  
  
Nadia hesitated, but went along with her gut instinct. Something good would come out of this, she felt it in her bones. "Yes, I accept the offer."  
  
The man stuck out his hand. "Captain Tobias Hastings."  
  
"Nadia Blackwell," returned Nadia, a smile crossing her face as she noticed the captain recoil his thumb in their handshake.  
  
"Hold–did you say 'Blackwell'?" asked Tobias.  
  
"Yes," replied Nadia suspiciously.  
  
"Your father was Roberto Blackwell?"  
  
"Aye, it would seem so...why?"  
  
"Well, legend has it that old Captain Blackwell went mad and killed his wife but left two children. One child lived to become a known buccaneer, but the other...no one knew she was alive. That's you, Nadia," explained Tobias, in awe.  
  
"Where is Jack? Whatever became of my father?" quizzed Nadia excitedly.  
  
"Your brother, Jack "Blackwell" Sparrow, was commandeering the ship he seized from your father the last I heard. You see, Jack Sparrow killed his father and left his body to rot in Davy Jones' Locker. Plot of revenge, I heard. The crew of the Black Pearl answer to him now," said Tobias, looking at the floor.  
  
Nadia had listened to many tales about the Black Pearl. She knew that this ship was the most beautiful vessel in all the Caribbean. Nadia was proud, yet filled with sickness. Jack had become cold-blooded, it seemed. A lump came to her throat, but she bit it back. She wanted more than ever to see her brother again.   
  
"Take me to Jack, my brother," said Nadia solidly.  
  
"We'll look out for him, to be sure. Be ready to board the Empress at dawn. We're headed to the isle of Martinique." Tobias left the tavern then, nodding as he ascended from his stool.  
  
On her way back to Mrs. Caldera's, Nadia felt a foreign sense of independence. Nothing would stand in her way now. 


	7. The Empress

Nadia woke with a start. Night was still upon Tortuga. She let out a breath of relief and sprang noiselessly from her shoddily-made bed.  
  
I'm starting anew, she thought to herself. I'm going to find Jack and the world will come back together again.  
  
She breathed in heavily, then picked up the cloth drawstring bag she had packed before she went to bed. She checked herself to make sure her daggers were in place: one in her stay, one at her waist, and one attached to the inside of her boot. Nadia knew the ways of every sort of scoundrel, and felt she was scant on arms, but she had never had enough money to afford a proper outfit of weaponry. At last, Nadia decided that she was ready.  
  
The morning dew soaked the toes of her leather boots as she strode toward the docks. She wondered what Mrs. Caldera would think of her leaving–she planned to be far gone before she found out the result. The sun began to rise, and Nadia could see a few rugged-looking ships swaying in the harbor. She saw men loading the ship at the farthest dock and headed toward them.  
  
Approaching the crew of the Empress, Nadia noticed only one other woman. She was dark brown in color, and wore men's clothes. She seemed to be giving orders to the men hauling crates.  
  
"Move it, boys! We haven't got time to lose!" screeched the woman.  
  
Nadia immediately regretted wearing her blue linen dress. It was ugly enough, but made her look like she expected something superior. Nadia knew that if she were to fit in, she needed flexible clothing. Running back up to the village, Nadia noticed a group of men roving the streets.  
  
"Here, Poppet," cooed one of the men, seeing Nadia. "Come take me away."  
  
Nadia smirked. This early in the morning? Men were always so vulnerable. "Come here then," said Nadia, backing into an unoccupied alleyway. The man came running, a look of excited madness on his face.  
  
As soon as he rounded the corner, Nadia slugged him in the nose. "Oh, feisty are we?" he taunted.  
  
Nadia rolled her eyes and pulled out her dagger. "Do I have to kill you?"   
  
The man considered "Could you really do that, Poppet?"  
  
"See for yourself," sighed Nadia, and she knocked him unconscious. The sun was coming up a little more now. Rushing, Nadia pulled the man's shirt and breeches from him, leaving him in his long-johns. Holding her nose, she shrugged out of her dress and slipped them on. These would have to do until she found something new, or decent at least. She re-hid her daggers in her new garb.  
  
"Goodbye, Poppet," chuckled Nadia. She slung her pack over her shoulder and walked briskly toward the docks, leaving the man behind.  
  
"Ay! Are you with us?" shouted the dark woman as Nadia neared the Empress.  
  
"I am," replied Nadia.  
  
"Good. Then get up here and talk with Hastings. He's waiting for you."  
  
Nadia walked up the gangway and passed by the dark woman, who caught Nadia's wrist. "I'm Anamaria, by the way."  
  
"Nadia Blackwell," replied Nadia, freeing her wrist.  
  
"I know–your brother's Jack. The dirty scoundrel," spat Anamaria. She wandered off, mumbling something about the boat Jack had stolen.  
  
Nadia's stomach turned. Scoundrel? She desperately hoped that Jack would be happy to see her again. Nadia looked up at the towering masts and saw them wave in the morning breeze. In her heart, she knew it was the right thing. She walked the length of the wooden deck until she found the captain's quarters, and stepped inside.  
  
Tobias Hastings was sitting at his vast oak desk studying maps and determining wind patterns when Nadia came in. The soft dawn light came through the captain's windows and brightened his young face. Nadia wondered how someone so young could be a pirate. He didn't seem the type to loot ships.  
  
"Miss Blackwell," said Tobias. "Welcome to the Empress. She's a small ship, but fast and true." He looked at his surroundings, a glimmer in his eye. "We're to sail to the isle of Martinique today. It will take a couple of weeks, at least." He recovered from his ship's enchanting aura. "When's the last you sailed?"  
  
Nadia tapped the toe of her boot. "It's been quite a long time, actually," she lied. Nadia had never been on a ship, save for the time when Jack had taken her out on a schooner to catch fish when she was three, before their mother had died. Jack had always been seaworthy. Nadia hoped his strength and courage ran in her veins. "Years."  
  
Tobias studied her. "I can see Jack Sparrow in you. You're more than qualified to sail with my crew."  
  
Nadia's lips curled. "What news of my brother? Any at all?"  
  
"Miss Blackwell, Jack is the most eccentric person I know. Fortunately, his eccentricities make up for themselves. He's the most devious captain I've ever met, if a little rum-dependent," chuckled Tobias, running his fingers through his chin-length dirty-blonde hair. Nadia grimaced at the word "rum". She only drank it when she was in a bitter mood. "Let's get on to business, then," said Tobias, after an awkward pause. "I'll require you to be my assistant. If you're like Jack, I know you're to be trusted with this."  
  
Nadia took little refuge in this comment, but was eager to live up to her fast-traveling name, the "Mistress of the Night". Some newly-sprouted tales told of Nadia appearing in the darkness, quenching the street lamp she was nearest to, and cutting off the thumb of the next innocent man to pass her. Nadia laughed to herself as she realized how quickly and out of proportion stories could be inflated. This would be the start of her legend. Her name was entering the ears of captains and sailors at every port, and it was on the tip of every tongue that left Tortuga. The word was spreading like wildfire. Everyone knew about the mad woman who severed off mens' thumbs.  
  
Nadia left the captain's quarters and went to find Anamaria, as Tobias had previously instructed.  
  
"Get over here, Blackwell!" shouted Anamaria. "Test your stamina and help pull the anchor out of the water!"  
  
Nadia rolled up her sleeves and nodded, helping several men hoist the anchor up with a crank. Anamaria looked at her appraisingly. "Captain says you haven't been at sea for a long time. I don't think that begins to describe the complexity of the matter." She paused, her eyes slitted, but willing to give the scoundrel's sister a chance to prove herself.  
  
Nadia felt Anamaria's icy gaze, but pressed on with the anchor. She needed to live up to the life set before her. When the anchor had been raised, Anamaria shouted orders to the crew to ready the sails. The men complied anxiously, fearing that failure to comply would result in capitol punishment.  
  
Nadia stood on deck, feeling utterly helpless and alone, when Tobias came up behind her. "Pay no mind to Anamaria. She's harsher than the sun at noon. She'll get used to you in no time at all." Tobias looked kindly but professionally upon Nadia. "What's that you've got about your neck?"  
  
"Oh," said Nadia, fingering the markings on the back of her necklace. "It was my mother's."  
  
"I see," replied Tobias curiously. "I've heard about this necklace, actually. Jack Sparrow has one just like it. If you join the two together," here Tobias picked up the gem gently and turned it over in his fingers, "they make a map–to some sort of treasure. I'm not sure of the details on this part of the story, but very interesting all the same."  
  
Nadia's heart was beating fast, and her cheeks were tinting themselves red. Tobias was awfully near. She looked away and cursed herself for her foolishness. She was here to find Jack, that was all. "Yes, my mother told me that, though my memories of her are small and vague."  
  
There was silence between them until Anamaria shouted, "Captain! Cargo ship of the left! Pillage needed?"  
  
Tobias crossed the deck and leaned over the side, looking closely at the foreign ship. "We need trading material. Hard a' port! Crew, assemble! Take what you can!"  
  
This was the sort of thing Nadia had been waiting for. She imagined what Mrs. Caldera might say to her daunting piracy and laughed. It was a laugh that released her from the old Nadia and led her into a new life, the one she had been born to live.  
  
The Empress took a swift port-side turn and gained speed, closing in on the sturdy Chinese cargo ship. Soon the pirates were neck-and-neck with the traders, and the Empress's crew jumped aboard the ship and began to loot. The pirates forced their way into the cargo hold and grabbed handfuls and crates of fruit, silks, spices, gems, and other merchant goods. The traders on board the Chinese ship were so frightened that some jumped overboard, surely to drown, while others cowered in their bunks, keeping deathly still. A majority of these brave men fought to protect their investments, but all were stilled with a ruthless plunge of a pirate's sword and a gush of blood.  
  
A pity, thought Nadia, that all these men should die over mere objects. I promise to never put and end to anyone's life. She was down in the ever-rocking cargo hold, and grabbed a handful of gems. Unless they threaten me, at which point they shall lose a thumb.  
  
"All hands on deck! Back to the Empress!" screeched Anamaria, her voice carrying to all corners of the ship.  
  
Nadia scrambled up to the deck, relishing the free movement that breeches provided her. Stuffing her stolen goods into a pouch she had taken from the hold, she clenched tightly to the mast rope that had been thrown to her from the Empress and jumped. She flew effortlessly through the salty air and landed on the Empress's deck smoothly. The rest of the crew arrived back, and Tobias maneuvered his ship away from the one they had just looted. Nadia slung her pouch over her back, and watched the silent Chinese vessel become smaller as the Empress sailed away.  
  
"The loot's not only for you, Blackwell," said Anamaria. "Just because you're Sparrow's sister doesn't mean you can keep it all to yourself. Hand it over. It's for the entire crew for trading."  
  
"Apologies," said Nadia. She handed Anamaria the small pouch. "I'll be wanting the pouch back, though."  
  
Anamaria snatched the bag, looking at it and then to Nadia several times, a defeated and puzzled expression on her face. She had expected a brawl. "Very well, then."  
  
Nadia smiled when Anamaria's back was turned. She had hidden several large jewels in her boots, along with her daggers. Nadia crossed her arms and strode solidly along the deck side, her boots clinking all the way, mumbling, "We're devils and black sheep, we're really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho..." 


	8. Martinique

A heavy breeze rippled the masts and swept gracefully across the decks of the Empress. The sky became streaked with deep reds and oranges as the sun peeked over the edge of the sea, and the dark water lapped eagerly at the keel of the ship, seeming to call the pirates from their cozy dreams and ease them back into reality. The men who had been at watch through the night stepped down from their posts and retreated to their bunks for a long awaited rest, while those who had slept on the deck under the stars arose to take their breakfast from the cook in the galley.   
  
Nadia had been aboard the Empress for four weeks now. She spent most of her time in the crow's nest looking out for ships, and for Martinique. Nadia liked this occupation, as she felt important. Perched so high amongst the masts, Nadia also had time to dream. She thought about Jack and what he must be doing. She thought about their first meeting in fifteen years. But Nadia also thought about Tobias, who had thoroughly earned her trust in the past month; Tobias who was her teacher in so many ways. She knew she shouldn't think this way, but he had charmed her mind. Nonetheless, Nadia blamed her feelings on the salty air. Perhaps it stirs other hungers aside from those that occur in the stomach, she thought.  
  
Nadia peered over the edge of the crow's nest and looked out across the ocean. It sparkled as the orange sun rose over the horizon. She squinted as the powerful morning light attempted to blind her. She held her hand up to shield her eyes, and without the garish sun in her vision, she saw something of interest. A scraggly black shape was looming in the distance.  
  
Hardly concealing her joy, Nadia shouted down to the crew. "Land ho on the starboard side! Land a' starboard!"  
  
The crew snapped instantaneously out of their groggy state and immediately began preparing to land at Martinique. The ship was now bursting with an aura of happiness and excitement, which must have drawn Tobias out of his quarters. The captain rushed out on deck to survey the shoreline for rocks.   
  
"Ah, Martinique!" breathed a rapturous Tobias, his features brightened by the sunlight. He strode purposefully to the wheel, taking over for his first mate. Tobias glanced up at Nadia, who was looking down upon him with sheer elation. He knew that he held her heart.  
  
"Huzzah! Real food for once!" shouted one pirate. "No more rotten galley fare. I can taste the island feast already--juicy meat, fruits, rum..." He was interrupted by a smack to the head by the galley chef for insulting his meager cooking, though the chef himself also had high hopes for island victuals.  
  
Martinique crept closer. Soon the Empress was maneuvering her way through the shore rocks to a secluded, tree-infested beach. The crew let the anchor fall, and the ship came to a halt.  
  
"It's careening day, men!" shouted Tobias. The crew grumbled in annoyance. "But never fear, we will rest later. Remember the accommodating women of Martinique?" He grinned.   
  
Nadia and Anamaria rolled their eyes in disgust as the men remembered, chattering excitedly. Soon the ship was empty of supplies and crew members, and the Empress was painstakingly turned on her side, comforted by the sand.  
  
Crowbars, metal spatulas, and anything capable of scraping sea urchins and other ocean debris from the belly of the ship was used to clean the underside of the Empress. The entire crew aided in the process, and finally, after hours of sweating in the sizzling Caribbean sun, the careening was finished. They righted the ship once more, pleased at the thought of being able to slice through the waters more quickly now. After piling the supplies back into the cargo hold, the pirates set off into the rainforest.  
  
"There is a little Indian village," explained Tobias, sitting down next to Nadia, who sat drinking the milk of a coconut that she had found and stabbed a hole through. "We come here frequently to careen. We know their ways."  
  
"They know yours, and still they allow it?" asked Nadia, whacking the now-empty coconut in two with her longest, sharpest dagger, revealing the sweet flesh inside.  
  
"Allow what, Love?" replied a confused Tobias, hiding his thumbs when the weapon came down.  
  
"These people simply allow your men to go into their village and take advantage of their hospitality--and their women?"  
  
"I'm told that it's tradition for them. We surely don't mind," grinned Tobias.  
  
Nadia sighed. "When will they be back?"  
  
"Before cast-off tomorrow morning, I expect." There was a slight pause, and Tobias's eyes sparkled. "That leaves time for us to be alone."  
  
"What?" Nadia looked at him quickly; unbelievingly.  
  
"Yes, Love. I couldn't say this before, what with all the other men running about, but you honestly captivate me. I've longed for this moment every day since the second I met you," whispered Tobias.  
  
"But surely you're mistaken--" Nadia was cut short was Tobias's lips upon her own. She relished every moment of that kiss. It had been forever in coming. Nadia had been kissed before, but none, it seemed, could compare to Tobias's love.   
  
Anamaria stood on the deck of the Empress, receiving an eyeful of Tobias and Nadia together on the beach. She squinted her eyes and crossed her arms. She had known that the scoundrel's sister was up to no good, and this seemed to prove it to her. She turned her back on the scene and left the deck for her bunk. The world couldn't reach her there. 


	9. Mahogany Betrayal

The rainforest of Martinique was moist and humid and random arrows of sunlight forced their way through gaps in the dense greenery. Bursts of colorful and exotic flora dotted the forest floor and climbed their way up tree trunks in the hopes of soaking in the quickly vanishing light as it became closer to evening. Giddy with happiness, Nadia wove her way through ferns and trees, letting her fingers slide across cool, lush mosses.  
  
"Find me if you can!" she shouted, hiding behind a thick-trunked mahogany tree. She smiled coyly to herself and sank down to the damp ground, letting its invigorating aroma grasp her senses.  
  
"That was far too easy," said Tobias, sneaking up along side of her and making her jump in surprise.  
  
"Then you shall have to catch me again." Nadia leapt quickly from her hiding place and ran once more, glancing back to see the expression he was wearing. Tobias followed her, shaking his head. "Tread faster, Captain, or I shall not allow you any more intimacy," giggled Nadia jokingly. Not wishing to destroy his chances, Tobias did indeed speed up to her pace.   
  
"You are most unfair," laughed Tobias. He snatched her waist and they tumbled to the ground. He looked into her eyes then, holding them with his own. Nadia searched them and found them to be full of want. She knew what he desired, but she was not entirely sure that she was ready to relinquish it. On the other hand, she wanted him to consume it beyond anything. Nadia ran a finger across Tobias's neck.  
  
"Nadia," he whispered, looking into her eyes more fervently, clearly relishing the touch. Attempting to re-compose himself, he said, "Nadia, love, come with me. There's something I must show you." Tobias shifted off of Nadia's stomach and stood, taking hold of her hand and pulling her to her feet.  
  
As they walked, Nadia listened to the many thoughts echoing through her brain. She wondered why he was becoming involved with her so suddenly. This, of course, was not something Nadia wished to end, however. And she wondered what he needed to show her in such an abrupt manner. She let an indecent smile creep across her face as she mused about the prospect. As Nadia and Tobias made their way up the gangplank and up into the Captain's luxurious quarters, Nadia felt the energy exuding from Tobias's very fingertips. The power she held over him took her breath.  
  
Tobias's cabin was more than Nadia had expected. Having only been in his front office, his bedroom presented a different thrill altogether. An ornate four-poster bed with red velvet draperies commanded the attention of the room, making all other elements in the space seem superfluous. There were mahogany tables and chairs, and a few well-placed wall sconces containing candles that were nearly devoid of wick. Tobias lit the candles quickly, then rushed to his mahogany commode. He paused, his hand shaking as he reached out to a drawer handle, his back turned to her. Nadia observed all of this from her position by the door, taking in his greasy, but cared for, long hair and his strong, square shoulders. He was tense with a masked anticipation.  
  
"Nadia," said Tobias, turning. "I think it would be best that I show you after–well, a little later." He was at her side in less than three strides. His energy, and now his motive, was highly apparent. Tobias kissed her neck tenderly.  
  
"Yes," she whispered, nearly holding her breath. "It could wait, I suppose." Taking this as permission, Tobias guided Nadia into his four-poster cave and ceded the vigor that had been binding his being all afternoon.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
On the beach, watching the stars come to life and seeing them glimmer innocently, Anamaria dug her brown toes into the sand. She glared at the Empress. It seemed to be mocking her as it swayed from side to side in the shifting tropical waters.  
  
"The traitorous dog and the scoundrel's sister, together at last," she growled, knowing full well the captain's nocturnal activities. Anamaria had been with the captain more than once, though she reflected bitterly that he'd had her simply because she'd been there when his mood had struck. Perhaps that was why she'd been taken aboard in the first place, she thought. Anamaria spat in Tobias's direction, cursing him out of existence.   
  
Finally retaining her resoluteness, she said, "I hope that lass gets away from here faster than hellfire. It'd sure be for her own benefit." Sighing sympathetically, Anamaria trudged back to the ship, making a point to avoid the captain's quarters. "I hope she doesn't end up like me, poor wench." 


	10. Renegade Blood

Nadia awoke a few hours later. Her heart was still beating rapidly, and she felt somewhat dizzy. She and Tobias had made a toast, but she didn't remember having drank enough to produce a hangover so massive. Bleary eyed, she blinked until her vision was restored. The sconces were still burning, but their glow was infinitely more dull. There was a draft, and Nadia reached for Tobias to warm herself with. Her hand reach out for the other side of the captain's opulent bed, but was met with splintering, moldy wood.  
  
Nadia sat upright, her senses flooding back to her. There was no Tobias; no comfortable bed; were no ornate sconces. Rubbing her eyes to be sure she wasn't imagining things, Nadia stood. She had been unceremoniously wrapped in a blanket, and her tunic and breeches lay in a corner of her confinement. Feeling her way around in the dim light from a single candle above her, she realized she had been locked into a cell. The cold metal of the bars and the unforgiving raw wood under her bare feet made her shiver, and as the Empress changed course, stinging sea water seeped through minuscule cracks in the woodwork. The ship groaned and it echoed off the dark walls in the bowels where Nadia was being kept.  
  
Realizing the appalling trick that had been played upon her, Nadia sunk, defeated, to the floor of her cell and wept. She mourned her lost dignity, her lost virtue, and the cost of treachery. Her body and soul ached and she wondered at Tobias' motives. Nadia peered into the hazy glow around her and reached into the foreboding shadows for her clothing.   
  
Just as she placed a sweaty palm upon her grimy tunic, it was stopped by the barrel of a gun. Nadia froze rigid and traced her wide eyes from the black, powder-encrusted pistol up to the face of the man who held it. Her gaze was met by two fearsome crystal eyes: Tobias. He smiled lazily; madly.  
  
The man who stood before her was not the one Nadia had known before. The light in his eyes had dimmed to an unapologetic film. He was tensely nonchalant in his manner; triumphant. Nadia let the air turn stale in her lungs, fearing to let it out. Tobias' deceiving nature had won her over, and she had now involuntarily surrendered.  
  
Tobias was in control and not the highest power could force Nadia into brandishing her weaponry at him. She struggled against Tobias' spell, but she was in much too deep. All she had left in her defense was words.  
  
"Tobias," she whispered halfheartedly.  
  
"Yes. Tobias." He cocked his head to one side. "Miss Nadia, I must say that you are, indeed, very pleasurable company." Nadia made a motion to punch him, but was struck across her face with the barrel of the gun. Tobias merely laughed at her anguish. "Oh, Nadia, really. You must admit you had a little fun with me."  
  
"I've had better with a monk when I was sober!" said Nadia, slitting her eyes.  
  
Tobias' eyes raged with red anger, then cooled. "That would make you what your mother was. A pitiful whore."  
  
Nadia spat in his face, losing faith in her infatuation. "No, Tobias. There you are mistaken. My actions came out of pure love for who I thought you were. You, on the other hand, dealt me the conniving hand of deceit. Therefore it is you who is playing the role of deceptive hussy." She glared at him, daring him to take another fateful step forward.  
  
"Mind what you speak," said Tobias, his icy tones contrasting sharply with the beads of sweat that were sidling down his angular, sun-soaked face. "For your fate rests in my hands."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Nadia heavily, disbelieving that this man could be in charge of such heavenly matters.  
  
"It means that I have found the map to the immortal treasure." Tobias slid a hand down the front of his tunic and produced a heavily-jeweled necklace. Nadia's legacy.  
  
Instantly, Nadia knew Tobias' reasoning for the fraudulence that had been played upon her. Anger, terror, and wretchedness seized her at once, widening her eyes to Tobias' plan. She had known all along, she told herself. Weeks ago, back in distant Tortuga, Tobias had mentioned tales of her legendary medallion. Nadia felt sorrow and guilt now for leaving poor Mrs. Caldera on her own. But something had called to her that night, telling her to escape. Had it been freedom, Jack, or simply Tobias' charm?  
  
"How did you get that?" asked Nadia stupidly, knowing full well the answer but using the only card she had in her favor: naivete.   
  
Tobias chuckled eerily, pressing his pistol deeper into Nadia's flesh. "As a clever girl, one would wonder at your folly." He fondled the necklace with his free hand, its innocent radiance glimmering in the candlelight and reflecting upon the glassy surfaces of Tobias' enchanted eyes. "After I'd done with you I slipped it from your neck. A simple procedure. And I must say that bedding such an obliging harlot as you wasn't difficult either."  
  
Nadia could take it no longer. "Rot you! Rot you to the lowliest depths of hell, that you may feel the flames scorch your skin and smell your own corroding, burning flesh in the heat! That you may taste of your black soul and let it eat you alive to live in a cruel, pitiless, and demonic purgatory for all eternity! I hope you die an agonizing death, Tobias. I hope you are sucked unwillingly into hell!" Nadia seized Tobias' cozening wrist and reversed the position of the gun's barrel, pressing it heavily into Tobias' stomach. "Your fate now rests in my hands, and unless you turn over my medallion I shall be forced to act upon my instincts."   
  
Tobias registered a fleeting panic, then took hold of Nadia's trembling chin. "Surely you wouldn't set out to murder the one you love."  
  
"You have purged my mind of all thoughts dealing with love," glowered Nadia. "Return the necklace."  
  
Tobias smiled knavishly, despite the gun at his belly. "You have forgotten the taste of my lips already, and how you melted at their touch." He leaned in closer, pulling Nadia's chin toward him. Their foreheads met the cool grime of the cell's bars. Pausing, as if tossing in an afterthought, Tobias whispered, "Your mother wouldn't mind." His lips went to hers in a hard kiss and Tobias clasped Nadia's chin roughly to keep her from turning away.  
  
Nadia's anger burned bright and a single tear rolled forlornly down her flushed cheek as she tightened her grip on Tobias' gun. Panic and hatred surged within her, and she pulled the trigger. The silence that followed the echoing of the shot was deafening. Tobias loosed his hold on her chin and his warm, dark blood spattered her body and the floorboards. He fell backwards into the shadows with a dull thud and Nadia stood inside her lonely cage in awe. She had promised herself that she would never kill–and yet here lay Tobias' cooling body in front of her with the darkness as his mistress.  
  
"Forgive me, you insolent fool," whispered Nadia, wiping her swollen lips with her forearm. Realizing that Anamaria would have heard the gunshot, Nadia hastened to dress herself and smear Tobias' renegade blood from her face. She tucked the pistol into her breeches and searched her mass of dark hair for the pin she kept hidden. Upon finding it, she twisted it into the lock and sprung herself from the cell's clutches. "Where are my daggers? Where has he stowed them?" said Nadia to herself.  
  
"Right here," said Anamaria, who had been watching from behind a crate.  
  
"Bloody hell, Anamaria! What are you playing at?" asked Nadia incredulously.  
  
"I want to help you. I know of your situation. Here, take you effects."  
  
Nadia grabbed her daggers gingerly, being wary of Anamaria's past treatment toward her. "How could you possibly help me?"  
  
"I couldn't stand to see Tobias treat you as he had done to me. Listen, that's along tale for another night, and we need to get away now while the timing's perfect," said Anamaria.  
  
"Right, so how are we going to get out of here?" asked Nadia, unbelieving.  
  
"We'll commandeer this ship on our own for awhile, pick up a crew someplace, and get your blasted necklace back. Easy as rum," concluded Anamaria.  
  
Nadia glanced at Tobias, his corpse sprawled upon the floor. "We don't need to look for my necklace. It's there with Tobias."  
  
"No, Nadia, it isn't." 


End file.
